In the world, there are around 5 National Parks. More than 000 are located in Europe, including 300 in France. The National Parks of France extend over an area of 11 million hectares on land and at sea.
Dsince 2019, France has had eleven national parks. In metropolitan France, the 8 parks are spread over the different reliefs. Four are in high mountain. This is the case of Vanoise, Mercantour, Pyrenees and Ecrins. The Cévennes national park is located in mid-mountain, while the Port-Cros national park and the Calanques national park are half land, half sea. The youngest, the Forests National Park is plain. It is indeed located straddling the departments of Côte d'Or and Haute-Marne. Guyana, Reunion and Guadeloupe ensure a good representativeness of the Overseas.
National Parks of France: A strong symbolic value
We are all attached to these parks. Even more so if we stay there all year round or during our holidays. The National Parks of France are real gems of our natural heritage. They are in fact a symbolic value very strong. They also contribute to the cultural identity of our country, in the same way as the most prestigious buildings. These parks are also attached to the French Biodiversity Office in order to strengthen collective action to preserve biodiversity.
Natural treasures to discover all year round
With their 60 km728, national parks represent nearly 2% of French territory! And they can be discovered in all seasons ... Let yourself be tempted by a getaway to one of these magnificent places?
For fans of the Metropolis
Port-Cros National Park
Port-Cros National Park is divided between land and sea. It is the first land and marine park in Europe. This exceptional site benefits from a high level of protection due to the presence of numerous protected species and a considerable historical heritage. Roman remains, wrecks and military forts are silent witnesses to the natural wealth of the place. The Posidonia herbarium and the coralligenous inhabited by more than 180 species of fish and many invertebrates await you. So you will not be disappointed.
The Calanques National Park
The Calanques National Park has the characteristic of being in the heart of the Aix-Marseille Provence metropolis. It is the first European peri-urban park both on land and at sea. The famous creeks plunging into the sea, the underwater canyon of Cassidaigne, the Soubeyran cliffs, the Frioul Archipelago and the Massif de Saint-Cyr offer spectacular landscapes to visitors. A heritage to discover!
The Cévennes National Park
The Cévennes National Park is characterized by "a particular balance between man and a nature shaped by successive generations". It is protected by UNESCO under Cultural landscape of Mediterranean agro-pastoralism. Biodiversity is very rich there with the noted presence of many species of endangered raptors, such as the golden eagle or the peregrine falcon, as well as the griffon vulture. 11 plant species have been recorded there. The peat bogs of the Lozère and Aigoual mountains, and the Caussenarde pseudo-steppe are amazing endemic plant associations.
The Pyrenees National Park
The Pyrenees National Park stretches over 100 kilometers between the high valleys of Aure and Aspe, along the border of Spain. It enjoys a very particular climate under oceanic influence, which makes it a green territory with multiple lakes and waterfalls. Isards, bears and bearded vultures find refuge in this preserved ecosystem. The Iberian ibex have recently been reintroduced there.
The Ecrins National Park
The Ecrins National Park is the most vertiginous, culminating at 4102 meters at the top of the Barre des Ecrins. The mountain and Mediterranean influences as well as the differences in altitude, give it a diversity of landscapes and unique biodiversity. Crossing its valleys and pastures and by storming the summits, you will discover ibex, ptarmigan and if you look up, the master of the place, the golden eagle.
The Mercantour National Park
The Mercantour National Park stretches from the Alpine peaks to the Nice metropolis without reaching the sea. The natural heritage is breathtaking, with 8 species. The cultural heritage is fascinating and rich in a history shared between Ligurian, Alpine, Mediterranean and Provençal influences. A gem to discover ...
Vanoise National Park
Vanoise National Park is the oldest of our parks. Rich in 5 nature reserves, 1400 plant species, 125 species of birds and the presence of ibex and chamois, this park bordering its Italian neighbor, the Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso, is a majestic territory, also a paradise. You will remain speechless as you walk through it.
The National Forest Park
The National Forest Park are home to many natural environments. Deciduous forests with up to 15 different tree species per hectare, but also tuff marshes, limestone lawns and meadows. These spaces host a diversity of forest animal species, such as deer, roe deer, wild boar, but also wild cat and black stork. The particularity of this park is the strong presence of human activity in its heart. Ancestral and part of sustainable development, the exploitation of the forest continues with the greatest respect for the place.
For long-haul travelers
Overseas France is full of natural treasures that beg to be admired.
The Amazonian Park of Guyana
The Amazonian Park of Guyana covers 3,4 million hectares. It is the largest of all French and European parks. And that's not all, bordering the Brazilian national park of Tumucumaque, it contributes to form one of the largest protected areas in the world. 5800 plant species, 400 species of freshwater fish, 192 species of mammals… Reptiles, amphibians, insects of all kinds, naturalists will be delighted!
Guadeloupe National Park
Guadeloupe National Park was created with the desire to protect and enhance the most prestigious sites of the Basse-Terre forest. These ecosystems offer exceptional biological wealth. The islets and their reefs are home to a great wealth of coral. The tropical forest of Basse-Terre is one of the best preserved in the Lesser Antilles. A real showcase for an abundant endemic fauna.
Réunion National Park
Réunion National Park emerges from the depths of the Indian Ocean in south-eastern Africa, not far from Madagascar. This mountainous jewel of the Mascarene archipelago awaits you then. More than 100 hectares offer grandiose landscapes, with volcanic eruptions, peaks, cirques and ramparts, as well as dry or tropical rainforests. A paradise for hikers…
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